Dephlegmator



Aug. 11, 1925.y

5. J. DlcKEY .DEPHLEGMA'TOR Filed Sept. '7,

1920 4 sheets-sheet 1 l@ V 0f' OuZZe U/D/oef 671e@ Condenser al@ am s. J. DacKEY DEPHLEGMATOR Filed 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 11, 1925.

S. J. DICKEY DEPHVLEGMATOR Filed Sept. '7, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,068

s. J. DicKEY DEEHLEGMATOR Filed Sept. '7, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 we nays atentetl ug. ll, 1925.

OFFICE.

SM'UEL J'. DICKEY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL PETRO- LEUIVI CORPORATION, A CORORATION 0F CALIFORNIA.

DEPHLEGMATOR.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. DICKEY,

a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing atv Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Dephlegmator, of which'the following is a specification. My inventionl relates to dephlegmators or fractionating columns for use in the rening of petroleum oils or the like.- If a crude petroleum is subjected to heat, vapors are given off which contain oils of various boiling points. It is common practice to subject the crude petroleum to a sufficient degree of heat to drive off as a vapor all of the lighter and more valuable products. This vapor may contain a considerable number of recognized commercial oils. 1t is the object of a dephlegmator to separatesuch a vapor into two components, one comprising oils of a relatively low boiling point which pass od as vapor and the other lcomprising," oils of a relatively highA boiling point which are recovered as a liquid. The low boiling point vapor may contain several commercial oils and the high boiling point recovered as a liquid may also contain several recognized commercial products.

An object of my invention is to provide a dephlegmato-r in which large quantities of vapor may be handled with avhigh degree of efficiency.

A further object of my invention is to provide means by which character of tle t e apparatus is in operation.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only.'

tion.

and below.

Fig. 1 is a side velevation of my inven-v Fig. 2 is a vertical section through an upper portion thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on a planev represented by the line -3--3 of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a lower portion of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a section on a plane represented by the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view looking down into the apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail showing the baffle plate.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail showing the `mannerin which a thoroug' distribution of the condensate over the bafiie plates is accomplished.

In the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, a tight metal shell is provided, this shell being divided into two parts, a lower shell 11 and an upper shell 12, for'convenience in manufacture, the two shells 11 and 12 being joined by a flange 13 secured to the shell 11 and a flange 14` other heating medium, if desired, which passes through the tubes 26. Secured inside the shell 11 above'the inlet 19 are a plurality of sections of baflie. plates 30. These plates are preferably formed-of corrugated iron 3l secured together byv bolts 32 and separated by spaces 33. The plates 31 are Substantially parallel and form substantially vvertical tortuous passages through which the vapor introduced through the inlet 19 ascends. The baffles 30 are arranged in layers in each` of which the plates are turned at right angles to the layers above y Situated in the eXtreme top of the shell 12 is a perforated plate 40 and located below this plate is a series of condensing tubes 41. These tubes are arranged Water is introduced into the chambers 42 to.the right and left as viewed in Fig. 6,-

and water is withdrawn from the chambers 43 by means of pipes 47. The Water introduced into any chamber 42 passes through an upper set of tubes 41 into a chamber 44 and downwardly through this chamber and back through a lower set of `tubes 41 into a chamber 43. The valves 46 provide means for regulating the supply of water delivered to the tubes 40. across thespace at the extreme bottom of the shell 12 are primary deflectors 50 which 'are bent as shown in Fig. 2 which have open passages 51 therebetween. These deflec-l tors are directly over troughs 55 whichv are secured in the top of the `shell v11 and which extend across that shell. Thel troughs 55 are provided with grooved openings 56 whichy discharge into troughs 57, which are' also provided with grooves 58. The shell 11 is provided with a heat insulating jacket 59.

The method is as follows:` a

Vapor delivered through the pipe 2() into the bottom of the shell 11 passes upwardly through the spaces between .the baffles 3()u and through the spaces between the various troughs and defiectors into the interior of y the shell 12 which is in fact a condenser. In its passage through the shell 12, the vapor comes into contact with the water cooled tubes 41 and is condensed to vforma liquid which falls downwardly on to the de'lectors 5() and into the troughs 55. The troughs 55 Atend to spread this condensate the troughs being carefully set so that the condensate may be delivered through each of the, notches 56 into the troughs 57. `-The condensate is spread up and down as viewed and 57. The condensate which is uniformly distributed over the baffles 30 runs down over the corrugated members 31 which form these baffles, wetting both sides thereof and covering both sides with a thin film of liquid. The ascending vapors are in very intimate contact with these films due to the narrow passages between the corrugated members 31 and due also to the fact that the direction of vflow of the vapors is re- 'peatedly changed i by the corrugations.

During the contact of the vapor with the liquid, a redistillation and absorption takes assing crosswise of operation of my invention place, the liquid tending to absorb, from the ascending vapor, oils of high boiling point and to give up to the vapor any oils of low boiling point which may have beenl condensed or absorbed. As a result the liquid which finally drops from the lower edge of the lower series of baliles is quite free from oils of lowboiling point.

v As hereinbefore stated, the efiiciency of dephlegmation accomplished in any device of the character herein described is dependent upon and proportionate to the area of liquid condensate to which the entering gases are exposed and brought into intimate or forcible contact with. In Fig. 8, 70 indicates the lower edge of an upper corrugated baiile plate, from which. the descend- *l ing absorbent liquid drops in somewhat the manner indicated at 73 which represents four streams or lines upon which the drops 75, 76, 77- and 78 are falling. It will be recognized 'that were thebaflle plates in dicated at 30 straight instead of corrugated, as shown, a. great number of the drops would fall directly. through the spaces between the baflie plates. However, with the arrangelnent shown the drops 76 and 78.

fall upon the surfaces 79 of the plates 30, and the drops 75 and 77 fall upon the surfaces 8O thereof. The downward passage of all of the liquid from the plate indicated at 7 0 is obstructed by either the surfaces 79 .or tlh'e surfaces 80, and in view of the fact that these surfaces 79 and 8O are on opposite sides of the bafe plates, both sides of theI baille plates will be wetted by the downwardly travelling liquid, this liquid travelling on each plate as respectively`indicated by the arrows 81 and 82. The rising vapors,'as indicated by the arrows 83 and 84, are' deflected in their upward path so as to be brought int'o'intimate or forcible contact with the absorbent liquid disposed on the downwardly facing surfaces 85 of the baffle plates 30, thus producing the highest ethciency in the dephlegmating action. There will also be a contact of gases with the li uid disposed on the upwardly facing surfaces 87, but this contact will not be as forcibleas that lattained with the downwardly facing surfaces 85. p

If a further refinement is necessary, the oil is allowed to accumulate in the lower portion ofthe shell l1 below the inlet 19 and it is reheated by means ofa heating medium in the tubes 26. The liquid which is finally delivered through the pipe 16 therefore-contains a very definite fraction,

in so far as boiling points are concerned,

of the vapor delivered through the inlet 19.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dephlegmator comprising a shell; a p

series of sections, each section being formed of paraliel corrugated plates forming tortuous passages through said shell having a l substant-ially vertical direction, the platesof one section being at an angle to the plates of the adjacent section; means for passing vapor into the bottom of said shell below said plates; a series'of water cooled surfaces in said shell above said plates; means for distributing the' condensate from said surfaces uniformly over said plates; means for withdrawing a low boiling po-int distillate in vapor form from above said condenser; and means for withdrawing a condensate of high boiling point from the bottom o-f said shell.

2. A dephlegmator comprising a shell; a series of parallel plates forming passages through said shell in a substantially vertical direction; means for passing a vapor into the bottom of said shell below said plates; a series of water cooled surfaces in said shell above said plates; means for distributing the condensate from said surfaces uniformly over said plates; means for withdrawing a low boiling point distillate invapor form from above said condenser; means for causing the vapor passing through the spaces between said water cooled surfaces to flow at a substantially uniform rate throughout said spaces; and means for withdrawing a condensate of high boiling point from the botto-m of said shell.`

3. A dephlegmator comprising a shell; a series of parallel plates forming tortuous passages through said 'shell having a substantially vertical direction; means for passing a vapor into the bottomof said shell below said plates; a series of water cooled surfaces in said shell above said plates;

means for distributing the condensate from said surfaces uniformly over said plates; means for withdrawing a low boiling point distillate in vapor form from above said condenser; means for causing the vapor passing thro-ugh the spaces n betweenV said water cooled surfaces to flow at a substantially uniform rate throughout said spaces;

and means for withdrawing a condensate of high boiling point from the bottom of said shell.

Aboiling point from the 4. A dephlegmator comprising a shell; a series of parallel corrugated plates forming tortuous passages throu h said shell having a substantially vertical irection; means for passing a vapor into the bottom of said shell below said plates; a series of water cooled surfaces in said l shell above said plates; means for distributing the condenate from said surfaces uniformly over said plates; means for withdrawing a low boiling point distillate in vapor form from above said con-denser; means for causing the vapor passing through the spaces between said water cooled surfaces to flow at a substantially uniform rate throughout said spaces; and means for withdrawing a condensate of high bottom of said shell.

5. In a dephlegmator, the combination of a series of sections, each section being formed of parallel corrugated plates standing vertically, the angle of su stantially 90 the section next below.

6. In a dephlegmator, the combination of a series of sections, each section being formed of parallel corrugated plates standing vertically, the plates of one section being at an angle to the plates of the section next below.

7. In a dephlegmator, the combination of: a series of sections, each section being formed of parallel corrugated plates standing. vertically, the plates of oneI section being at an angle of substantially 90Q to the plates of the section next below; and means for spreading a condensate evenly over the upper edges of the upper section of said plates.

8. In a dephlegmator, the combinationof: a series of sections, each section being formed of parallel corrugated plates standing vertically, the plates of one section bein at an angle to the plates of the section nextelow; and means`for spreading a condensate evenly overthe upper edges of the upper section of said plates.

In-testimony whereof, I have hereunto set to the plates of my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 30 day of August 1920.

SAMUEL J. DIGKEY.

plates of one section vbeing at an 

